So I started as a game as the Sumerians because they're both agricultural and scientific, but when I started irrigating tiles, there was no change in the amount of food produced. When I realized this I started building mines instead so at least they would have more production, and still there was no change in food (they did have more production). I don't know if this is a glitch or this is something unique to the Sumerians. I didn't have this problem playing as the Maya.
You have just (re)discovered the general rule of Civ3 -- advocated while still under Despotism -- of 'mine Grass, irrigate Plains'.
The rationale
Spoiler:
In the early stages of the game, when your stock of Workers (and unit-support) is still limited (and the Despot-penalty applies, as described by Theov), you generally want to concentrate on fully-improving (and then working) the 4-5 best flatland tiles around each city, before you start on the more difficult terrain. Having done so, you will get at least 2 food per worked tile (which feeds the citizen working that tile), while also maximising your shield-output for those same tiles under Despotism. Since the city-tile also gives 2 'free' food (and 1 shield) per turn, you get a net +2 food per town = a new citizen every 10T (assuming no Granary). A single (non-Industrious) Worker per town can therefore fully improve a tile within a single town-growth cycle (1T to arrive on the tile, 3T to road, 4T or 6T to irrigate or mine, respectively), so it's immediately available for a new-born citizen to work.
Under Despotism, only the Agri-civ towns adjacent to freshwater get a 3rd food-point from the town-tile; outside Despotism, all Agri-civ towns get that 3rd food point, regardless of location. All else being equal, a freshwater Agri-civ town can therefore grow in 7T rather than 10T under Despot, one reason why the Agricultural trait is generally considered the strongest in the game. The 'freshwater-factor' might also be why your Sumerians game seems to be acting differently from how you remember your Mayan one doing.
Main exceptions to the above rule
Flatland tiles with a Bonus-resource that gives +2 food (Wheat, Cattle) should always be irrigated
Spoiler:
Even after the Despot-penalty takes its -1 bite, you'll still get 3 food per turn from these tiles -- which means that even just 1 irrigated food-bonus will increase your town's growth rate from 10T to 7T (or 5T if Agri plus freshwater) per new citizen
A town with 3 irrigated +2 food-bonuses (or 2 food-bonuses plus Agri-trait plus freshwater) (+5 net food per turn), if balanced by the appropriate shield-output (and possessing a Granary), can be used to produce Settlers (and Workers) very quickly (a 'Settler factory') -- solving your other problem of slow expansion
Plains (and Deserts, especially if they have Oases) near Floodplain-towns should usually be mined
Spoiler:
Floodplains can only be irrigated, giving 3 food under despotism, so such towns will tend to be food-rich (= fast growth) but shield-poor (= slow builds)
Excess food from the Floods can be used to support shield-harvesting from mined (and worked) Plains (and Desert), preventing runaway growth and resulting 'overpopulation' riots before you've got Luxes hooked/ imported
Alternatively, you could whip your 'excess' citizens into your builds, but this is wasteful of people-power (plus they'll hate you for 20T per death)
The rule(s) above ceases to apply after you've left Despotism: once you're running a more advanced gov (and have more Workers/Slaves available), you will almost certainly be better off e.g. irrigating Grass for fast growth to Pop12, and/or to support the use of low-food, high-shield tiles (e.g. Forests, mined Hills).
Under Despotism, only the Agri-civ towns adjacent to freshwater get a 3rd food-point from the town-tile; outside Despotism, all Agri-civ towns get that 3rd food point, regardless of location.
Another way to avoid the despotism penalty on the agricultural bonus on the city tile is to let the town reach city size. As reaching city size usually happens after leaving despotism it is not very relevant. You want to have a modern government more urgently than having construction for aqueducts.
Another way to avoid the despotism penalty on the agricultural bonus on the city tile is to let the town reach city size. As reaching city size usually happens after leaving despotism it is not very relevant. You want to have a modern government more urgently than having construction for aqueducts.
Another way to avoid the despotism penalty on the agricultural bonus on the city tile is to let the town reach city size. As reaching city size usually happens after leaving despotism it is not very relevant. You want to have a modern government more urgently than having construction for aqueducts.
It is probably not so much related to the despo penalty, but to another property of the city center tile: if you settle on a tile, that does not produce a tile (like a grassland), then the city center nevertheless produces a shield. However, if you settle on a tile, that does produce a shield (like a bonus grassland), the city center also produces just one shield. So in fact, you lose a shield. But you "get back" the shield, once the city reaches size 7, i.e. then the city center produces 2 shields, if you settled on a BG (or plains or hill, etc.)
So somehow the extra-food from being agricultural seems to be handled like the extra-shield from a BG here?!
(BTW, justanick: in this case the Wiki entry is not quite correct: Stadtfeldertrag
First of all it mentions only the fresh water case and not the size-7-with-aqueduct case, and then: can it really be caused by the despo penalty, if growing to size 7 prevents the penalty? No other despo penalty is influenced by the city size -- or by the presence of fresh water.)
It is 7+ and only for the agricultural bonus in the city tile. The easiest way to check this is to have an advanced savegame and switch to anarchy. Anarchy suffers from despotism penalty.
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